DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 25, 2000NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
Drew Malcomb, 202/586-5806
Richardson Releases Reports on Security and Counterintelligence Accomplishments
Energy Secretary Bill Richardson today released three reports that outline the Department of Energy's significant progress in improving security of the nation's nuclear secrets.
"Last year I initiated several immediate actions to correct security and counterintelligence problems within the department that had existed for years but had not received the appropriate level of attention or action. We needed to correct bureaucratic problems and resource deficiencies and institute more accountability in our security programs," Secretary Richardson said. "I'm pleased to report that we have made substantial progress."
The reports, prepared by the Offices of Counterintelligence, Independent Oversight and Performance Assurance, and Security and Emergency Operations, detail the extensive program of security and counterintelligence improvements. Critical actions included creating the Office of Security and Emergency Operations consolidating the security functions throughout the department, instituting a bottom-up internal security review, and creating the Office of Independent Oversight and Performance Assurance, which independently oversees security, cyber security, and emergency management within the Department and reports directly to the Secretary of Energy.
The security improvements include, among other initiatives, improving cyber security, increasing the counterintelligence budget from $7.6 million in fiscal year 1998 to $38.2 million in fiscal year 2000 with an expected $45.2 million in fiscal year 2001, strengthening nuclear materials inventory accountability, instituting new counterintelligence measures, implementing more physical upgrades, creating a cyber-threat training program and extending the deadline for the executive order on automatic declassification.
Specific steps taken by each office are outlined below.
Office of Counterintelligence (CI)
- appointed Edward Curran of the FBI as DOE Director of Counterintelligence to take advantage of his more than 30 years of CI experience;
- expanded the CI headquarters contingent from seven employees with little relevant CI experience to almost 40 employees with a cumulative average of more than 25 years of relevant CI experience;
- placed 130 CI personnel at each of the laboratories, other DOE field sites and headquarters;
- increased the CI budget from under $5M in 1997 to more than $45M for 2001 significantly enhancing today's counterintelligence concerns and challenges;
- instituted a rigorous, independent inspection program, led by three teams of former senior FBI, intelligence community and law enforcement officials with extensive CI, investigative and security experience; and
- created a strategic Analysis Program to conduct foreign intelligence threat assessments and economic espionage threat assessments.
Office of Independent Oversight and Performance Assurance
- conducted comprehensive appraisals of security programs and practices, including computer security programs, at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories (New Mexico and California facilities), Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Y-12 Plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee;
- initiated a follow-up appraisal of the Transportation Safeguards Division's tactical capabilities;
- conducted year-end follow-up appraisals of Los Alamos, Lawrence Livermore, and Sandia National Laboratories;
- Lawrence Livermore improved vulnerability analyses related to the protection of special nuclear materials, initiated compensatory protection measures, and initiated protection system upgrades
- Sandia National implemented short-term corrective actions and developed plans for long-term actions to address identified concerns
- Los Alamos conducted vulnerability assessments of classified parts storage and installation of alarm systems progressing.
Office of Security and Emergency Operations
- centralized security and emergency operations into one office;
- integrated unclassified and classified cyber security to create seamless program;
- developed site-specific computer security plans;
- placed warning banners on cyber systems to reinforce importance of security requirements;
- established central facility (Computer Incident Advisory Capability) to respond to cyber attacks;
- purged DOE websites of sensitive information;
- instituted Department-wide security badge standardization to enhance visual security checks;
- established standard practices for divesting excess weapons inventories;
- eliminated personnel security clearance application backlogs;
- developed of a new, streamlined and more effective process to validate site security plans; and
- improved readiness stance of armed security officers at DOE sites.
Security in DOE, A Progress Report - from the Office of Security & Emergency Operations
- DOE -